Hero of Ivalice
by absolutezero001
Summary: Banished for a completed mission, Naruto decides to once again do the impossible in order to not only escape the clutches of Konoha, but those who would use him for their own benefit. But to do so, he will journey across the seas to a new continent; one torn by war. He will now set his own marking s in the war, but not only as a combatant, but as a hero.


_Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN THE NARUTO AND THE FINAL FANTASY FRANCHISES, ALONG WITH ANY OTHER THING THAT I MENTION THAT LOOKS LIKE IT DOESN BELONG TO ME! If I did, I would've put more action scene in Naruto and not make him such a wimp. Seriously Kishimoto, grow up from the damn Uchiha-teme and give Naruto a break. Lastly, kill off the damn Uchiha, PLEASE! AND, Tobi wouldn't be more of a pain in the ass with his gloating and get on with the damn battle! Lastly, the Final Fantasy franchise belongs to Square-Enix, and I would have already released Versus 13 and make more Tactics based games! Everything else is fine…save for some character issues here and there._

Speaking –"And here I thought this would be too easy"

Other languages spoken at different districts – "_I told you so!_"

Thoughts – _Damn it_

Demon, summon, demonized human, large being speech – "**Foolish ningen"**

Demon, summon, demonized human, large being thoughts – _**You amuse me**_

Jutsu, techniques, etc. – Rasengan!

_**AN: I am sorry for dropping in another story on the lot of you, but this has been on my mind for quite a while. The theme of it has been passed around here and there, and only the likes of Aragon Potter had done it quite well, except for a few small blips on some character traits concerning Naruto…and the fact that he hasn't updated that particular fic in Kami knows how long. BUT, that aside, I will change the formula a bit. You will see what I mean as we go on. So, allow me to introduce you all to The Hero of Ivalice**_.

Ch 1: An End Brings New Beginnings

_**(Date: March 13, 1589 A.R.)**_

_Kami, I never thought that they would do it. I never really did, but well, it shows that Konoha is a place only filled with bigotry_, a young blonde male recalled in his mind as he was walking on a bridge somewhere in Mizu no Kuni.

He had the demeanor of a tired old man, which contradicted his age immensely. His outfit was also an immense change as well, to those who had come to know him. He had tossed aside, and burnt the jumpsuit that had defined his 'persona' for as long as he had known. Now that he had been oh-so-kindly booted out, he no longer needed it. Now he was wearing some back ABNU pants, some shoes he had picked up from a passing town, a gray t-shirt that was overlaid by a chainmail vest and a jonin vest he had pilfered off of a drunk Kusa ninja. On the back of the vest were two large scrolls tied on there. They looked to be a bit too big for him, and were also the subject reasons why he had been attempted to be mugged. It was one of those times when he was able to get that jonin vest. His hair was down, due to the fact that he no longer wore the headband showing his former allegiance.

You see, the circumstances of Naruto's 'departure' were quite an event to behold for him. For as long as he had known, the people, both civilian and ninja alike, had loathed his existence for something totally out of his control. And they had not been afraid to show it, unless there were any foreign shinobi or merchant coming in. They couldn't ruin their 'image' after all.

That aside, Naruto had figured out the reason why he was hated a long time ago when he was the age of 7. After escaping yet another mob trying to kill him, Naruto had decided that it would be a good idea for him to hide out in the Sandaime Hokage's office until the late night came around. It was a good thing that Hiruzen was out too, since he would have had to come up with a worthy time consuming thing to keep the old man occupied.

But, it was then he had figured that he may as well see some of the paperwork that the old man would complain so much about. One thing led to another, and he had hos whole world shattered. Everything had made so much sense back then. He had learned not only about the sealing of the Kyuubi no Kitsune inside of him, but also of his heritage to Konoha's two most famous shinobi, Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Minato.

He had also learned some disturbing evidence concerning the two of them. As far as he had known, according to the stories, Minato had died sacrificing himself to 'kill' the Kyuubi, which meant sealing the biju into Naruto in reality.

What had actually happened was something much, MUCH different. Someone else, some no name ninja, had used the Shiki Fujin. Not Minato. There were no such death records of any Minato or Kushina. In fact, upon looking further into Hiruzen's folders, including the hidden compartments that he had known about during his multiple visits in the past, he had found nothing of the sort that led him to believe that Minato and Kushina had 'died' during October 10, the day of his birth and also the day when the Kyuubi had 'invaded'.

That led to only one disturbing conclusion: they were alive, and hidden somewhere. There were no such hidden records, save for the one about the destruction of Uzu which he kept as incriminating evidence for later on, about having their bodies cremated, or even kept in suspended animation so that they can crack their jutsu, or even have them use their fluids to clone or reproduce. They were alive, and had obviously left Naruto to fend for himself.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to say that he had now either loathed the two of them, and/or just didn't care about them. In truth, he only held apathy for them, as even though they were his biological 'parents', they had left him at the mercy of Konoha, and all of the hatred and bigotry with it. Now, he is not one to know some things due his circumstances, but he knew that was just some beyond fucking retarded parenting skills. That much was true. AND, if by bizarre Kami given chance he were to meet them, he would first off beat the ever living fuck out of Minato, and probably Kushina too, if the option was applicable, while showing them how much of an effective jinchuriki he had turned out to be. And then there would be some harsh talks by him, dressing them down for their total idiocy in leaving their son behind for whatever Kami damned reason. Kyuubi had then added that he would be all the more helpful to it when the time would come.

Save for that revelation, he had found through the paperwork about the oddly specific and downright evil manipulations set up by the former grandfather figure to have Naruto be broken in spirit, only for the old man to provide the emotional support that he would need in order to function in society. The old man would then craft Naruto into the perfect weapon of Konoha, as, to the old man, he is a jinchuriki.

It was needless to say that Naruto's love for the old man had then turned into complete and utter loathing, just like how he had loathed his _parents_. But, sadly, as much as he had wanted to take all of the stuff with him, and mail it to the daimyo of the country, or even some of the other Kage of the other villages, he knew that was a stupid idea. As he could always deny, deny, deny all of the accusations as forgery and what not. And considering what some of the shinobi can do just to frame someone, it was entirely plausible.

So instead, he left the documents right where he had found them, but not before taking some of the more risky documents concerning him, along with all of the hidden things that were technically his by proxy. Oddly enough, it was just a scroll full of the Namikaze and Uzumaki funds, left conveniently by the two 'parents' right behind the portrait of the said father. It was a good thing that the monkey had left oddly specific instructions on how to open it. It was probably his age catching up to him at the time, but then again, shouldn't it have done so long ago?

It was after getting all of that and leaving the office as he had figured, Naruto had decided on how to go about this revelation. The first thing he had to do was to figure out how to get out of Konoha. He knew for a fact that he couldn't really leave Konoha, as the old monkey would go through heaven and hell just to bring him back. That would be time wasted doing something that Naruto would consider to be of WAY more importance. Second was how to get strong so that he can fight back. He had figured before this day that he had to find out how to fend for himself financially, physically, AND mentally. Seeing the problem there, he had found that of course, training himself to a good level would be the more than likely solution, but then, there were the papers that he had seen just now. The fact that they were planning on keeping him ignorant and malleable was something that the papers emphasized, so he had figured that if he were to show things that were out of the supposed character they were planning on him to be, he would have a lot more trouble doing hat needed to be done.

It had all led to the 'persona' of what he would oddly call 'canon Naruto'. It was an extremely loud, boisterous, irritating dumbass that would just go on and on about becoming Hokage and all that jazz. It made him sick to the stomach that he had to put up the ruse, but he had to keep up the ignorant image. It was only then that he would train as hard as he could, using whatever he could find or from what he saw to strengthen himself.

And the rest was history. Later on, when he had been somewhat forced to be made genin, he had to keep up his persona so that he could throw off the dumbass teammates he had to endure being with, along with the bastard student of his bastard father. Oh, did I forget to mention that they were bastards, especially those three? And don't get him started on the other rookie 12 and senseis, since they all had their own prejudicial views on him, even that stalker he had, Hinata. Good thing she didn't get the chance to follow him, otherwise he would have killed the girl.

True, there were some good people, but he had figured that they were either paid to do so or were just ignorant. Like the Ichirakus and Konohamaru corps. The former were business people, so of course they would take money if only they had to do a simple job of befriending a 'lonely jinchuriki'. Same for the latter, except since they were kids, it may as well have been candy or some jutsu.

Anyway, as the months had gone on by, he had met some actual nice people, outside of Konoha. Go figure on that. He had even become famous like in the countries of Haru no Kuni with the current Daimyo, and Nami no Kuni for obvious reasons. He wasn't sure on Suna since Gaara can be easily manipulated and was always the 'for the village' type of guy. Meh, no skin off his back on that.

Any way, he had gotten some potential areas where he could go by the off chance where he would be able to escape from being a Konoha nin or by chance of 'dying' on the mission. Of course, no such opportunity came. Sure, he had fought some close battles, but there wasn't enough time for him to come up with a plan to fake his death. Otherwise when and if he would have escaped, he could be captured and taken in for some reconditioning. There was no way in hell he was going to put up with that.

So, he had to grit his teeth and bear with the abuse. All was tolerable, at least as tolerable as he could stand, but then a few certain events happened. The first was the old man dying while trying to kill Orochimaru. He had felt nothing there except a little bit of vindication since he had failed to do so, killing the pedo, and to add onto it, the old monkey had used the Skiki Fujin. So by now, Naruto was hoping that the old man was suffering. Oh, what cruel, poetic justice that was dealt.

And then there were the introductions of his…'godparents'. He had figured that Jiraiya and Tsunade were in the know of what had really happened, but either didn't care for him or something else, as they had never checked up on him. He didn't really care that the old hag was made Hokage, but she had made sure to let Naruto know that SHE was in control. As much as he had wanted to laugh at her face and just walk out, he knew that was just beyond stupid, Uchiha worthy no doubt. He persevered, keeping up the persona he had spent years crafting into perfection.

And finally, there was the said bastard child of an unholy union between the bastard Fugaku and a minor demon. Naruto had simply refused to believe that this was the son of Mikoto, who he had remembered was one of the…well, the ONLY one who knew about Naruto's situation. And she couldn't even blame him for what he was planning, since she was of course appalled at the actions of her now former best friend. Too bad she didn't get to see him grow up due to Itachi, the baka, and the councils', in their _infinite wisdom_, interference. Anyway, during the Chunin Exams, Uchiha Sasuke had gotten bitten by Orochimaru, giving him a super powered hickey that blessed the bastard child with evil powers that was just not right.

The idiot had then got his little revenge thing tapped into his head way too much, due to Naruto thoroughly thrashing him with a smile, and had defected. Of course, keeping up with his persona, Naruto had to go after the baka along with some of the rookie 12. He had laughed inwardly at the pathetic begging that his teammate, Haruno had done for. As much as Naruto had wanted, oh, he so badly wanted to, but he could not just openly say 'Meh, I don't care for the bastard. I'm just going to kill him anyway.' That would have raised some flags that Naruto didn't need, or want to be raised. As time went on then, it had dwindled down to just Naruto as the others had opted to stay back and fight whatever member of the Sound Four they had encountered.

And finally, there was the fight between him and Sasuke. It was a tie at first, since Naruto didn't want to bring up his real power. Of course, the bastard child had then gone into the 2nd stage of his super powered hickey and had then gone on into a fucking monologue. Naruto and Kyuubi just couldn't take it any longer by that time.

So, in turn, Naruto and his acquaintance Kyuubi had unleashed quite the smack down upon the dumbass. And since Naruto wasn't really holding back, not even the 2nd stage of the hickey mark and the 3rd level of that damned Sharingan combined in an unholy way couldn't help the boy. It can be said, without a doubt in the known multiverse concerning Naruto that the said boy had easily won the fight. The trip back to the village was anticlimactic at first, but then Hatake had FINALLY made his entrance.

And of course, the hypocritical bastard had then went on about how that was not how it should have gone, how he should have just knocked him out, yadda yadda yadda. Naruto just ignored him, while getting a somewhat sadistic satisfaction that he was giving the baka the same treatment he gave him throughout his ninja career and even before then.

It was after that and when Naruto had arrived back to the village when everything went to shit. The council and Tsunade, in their once again _infinite wisdom_, had decided that Naruto was 'too dangerous to keep around' in case the Akatsuki were to come around, and a 'danger to Konoha and their people' and all that jazz. There were of course a lot of insults, but by then, Naruto had figured what was coming, and simply didn't give a flying fuck about it.

The result was unanimous, which was a no shit Sherlock, and Naruto was banished from Konoha. They had thought they had won, they had thought that they had broken the boy. Hell, they had even thought that they would go behind the 'demon brat's' back to seal away his chakra. But then, Naruto had just laughed.

He laughed for Kami knows how long, and had just left the room, not believing their stupidity. But, not before he throws his destroyed hitae back at the stunned Tsunade and crushing the Shodaime's jewel. He had figured out that since they had an ANBU that can use Mokuton, they would use it on him so long as he wore the necklace. Not anymore.

And then there was the attempted beatdown or dress down his former comrades had tried to give him. Naruto had simply retaliated with a 'I don't give a fuck about it' and a shrug. Though, he had also stated that he had only completed the mission put before them, and had asked how that makes him a bad person. Saukra, being the ignorant whore, had then just responded with her anger by trying to give Naruto one of her punches.

As of now, she is still in the hospital after Naruto had given the girl a Futon: Rasengan, sending the girl flying out of a three story building, through some windows and such. And with the subtle manipulation of the Kyuubi's youki, he was sure that the whore would die of youki poisoning sooner or later. When it will happen wasn't his concern.

He had later left late at night, WAY before the 'set date' when he was supposed to leave. It was more of a question of, 'why the hell not?' by then. He was being kicked out, so why would he want to stay any longer than he should? In fact, he had somewhat celebrated a minor victory of finally being rid of Konoha. And to go along with that _celebration_, along with a good hint of vindication on both Naruto's and Kyuubi's parts, he had taken everything that was his, which he had already done in the years past. And to add insult to the many injuries he had planned on putting on Konoha, he had taken the Scroll of Sealing, just like he did so a while back. Not like they would notice it gone since no one had actually bothered to use it in the first place.

But, as far as he knew, the clones he had made to make a replacement had made a few tweaks to it, just in case someone would have the guts, or brains to look through it. And once they do, oh ho, will they be surprised. And for the pièce de résistance, he had sent out some VERY detailed letters, with all of the documents made against him, to ALL of the nations and countries that had joined in on a trading alliance or something like that, BECAUSE of Naruto's interference. And if not, heh, no skin of his back.

He had estimated that by a few months' time, Konoha would be in major need of financial help. And with them being in cahoots with Suna, who was also still suffering from their economic depression, it would take QUITE a while for them to make a full recovery. And not to mention that when, not IF, but WHEN the bastard Uchiha would make another run for it, and actually succeed in his 'escaping'.

There would be no Naruto to help them that time, so they dug their own graves for that, and among a LOT of other things. He could have just let it go, but even he was allowed to have a little bit of vindication for once in his life. And it was a GREAT source of therapeutic anger for him.

And that is where we see our hero.

He can now be seen walking towards a fishing town. According to some rumors he had heard, there was a boat leaving there for a recently discovered continent. They needed some people that would help 'protect' them in case they were to encounter any sort of wild animals or hostile humans. And what better person none other than our hero.

To Naruto, the job was providing many things for him. For one, there was of course the currency that the continent was using. One thing that he had found out was that the explorer that had been there was that the people there were of an entirely different culture. He wasn't able to gather much intel since most of it were just gossip. But the thought of a whole shitload of countries with their own brand of currency and technology was something for him to be curious about. There was also the opportunity to learn some strange ability that the rumors were calling 'magick'. Again, he wasn't able to get any good solid information on the subject, but again, it was enough for him to pique his curiosity.

Kyuubi had let him know that as much as people hated to admit it, the biju had known about the other continents in the world, along with the possibility of entirely different sentient energy forms. Of course, upon telling Naruto this, the boy had to wonder just how BIG the world is on its own, and just what kinds of things that people and animals can do.

_Come to think of it, I have to wonder on how exactly a world that size can sustain all of us, human, animals, creatures, everything without collapsing or something._ Naruto thought to himself as he entered the town.

Though the biju hadn't been able to provide enough information for Naruto to go on, it was enough for the boy to have the aspirations to go across the seas and see the world one day. To learn, to live, to see, to do anything what he wanted mostly. And with his chains to Konoha broken, he had that opportunity. And like his unnatural luck had with him, he was blessed with the opportunity to go on such an expedition.

Once he was to actually arrive at the continent, he wasn't sure on what he would actually do. The first thought was for him to just wander around, but that idea was thrown out the window since he didn't want to end up being like a travelling hermit. He was NOT going to be like Jiraiya in any way whatsoever.

The second thought was that he could always join up in some military thing, but then again, he JUST got out of that lifestyle. It would be pointless for him to join in on another city or kingdom or whatever just to go on in fighting. If anything, he would rather be the guy ruling them with a gentle, yet firm fist.

Naruto chuckles to himself once that train of thought came, as his formal aspirations in becoming Hokage, or Kage of anything was transferred over on into him wanting to be just a benevolent leader of anything. He didn't care of whether he would be one for a small group, or even a king to a kingdom, just so long as he would be doing SOMETHING to help out someone. Little did he know, that aspiration would indeed come true in the future.

So, after discussing it with Kyubi, he had decided to just do the first option before settling down at a city or village. It was mainly for him to get used to the culture and whatever is on the other side. As much as he would like for him to just plop down in some random city and do whatever the hell he would do, he had to do better than what the 'canon personality' would do. He was WAY better than that.

Shaking himself out of his thinking, Naruto looks and sees that he had unconsciously arrived at the inner workings of the port town. It was a good start. All he needed to find was the boat where the job would be taking place. And that wasn't all too hard to do, since according to the talks of the two and the past towns he had been through, it would be a massive ship.

And for once, Kami had blessed him in that expectation since it wasn't too long for him when he did find the ship. Walking up to it, Naruto shouts, "Hey! Anyone up there? I'm here for the job!"

"Oh, so yer here for the job, eh?" a rough voice sounded as a very rough looking, sea worn man walks down the boarding plank. He sizes Naruto up quite quickly. "Ye don' look like much young lad. I don' think that yer sea worthy."

"Oh really?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow. "I have heard about your voyage to the new continent, and I was wandering if you needed any help. After all, I AM a rounin shinobi."

"Ye don' say?" the older man said. After looking him up and down again, he beckoned him on forward to follow. "Follow me then, an' we can have ourselves a drink while we discuss business."

Naruto nodded as he began to follow.

After having his first few glasses of the local drinks from the other continent, which Naruto had to admit that they were better in taste, and a quick story of his life, the older man lets out a boisterous laugh. "Bwah ha ha ha hah! Hard to believe that one such as ye to be livin' quite the life! But man, some of that stuff just cracks me up, and has me brimming with joy!"

"Oi, waiter, bring me and the lad another one of those drinks! A story like that deserves another drink!" the man called out before he held out his hand to Naruto. "I be likin' ya, an' that's not somethin' I usually say to jus anyone. Te' name's Robert Faulkner, pleasure te' meet ya."

"Same here. Naruto Uzumaki, now Misaki if you didn't get it," Naruto greeted in turn while shaking the man's hand. "I have to say this though. I have NEVER heard of a name like that before."

"Bleh, tis the whimsy of me mum that got me me' name," Robert shrugged. "But that aside, I can very well use you fer our next journey. We gots pirates in the midst of te seas, and I'd be not too impressed with how savvy my crew is when coming to quarters."

"Well, I got my Kage Bunshin there for you Robert. Not only can I practically swarm any pirates that will come our way, they can also help you in any shipping stuff. I may not know much, as Konoha didn't have that many books on sailing. But I was able to get some stuff at Nami no Kuni."

"Aye, Nami no Kuni. Ye'd be the name that's plastered on their bridge. I've heard of yeh," Robert grunted

Naruto just smiled. "Hope it wasn't too bad things. But anyway, when do we launch from port? I want to get out of this wretched continent ASAP."

"Yer in luck there me boy," Robert nodded as he rose from his seat. "Ye just came in time for when we depart from port over to Ivalice."

"Huh…lucky me then," Naruto muttered ti himself before looking at the captain inquisitively. "Ivalice? Is that the continents name?"

Robert nodded as he and Naruto walked out of the bar, after paying for their drinks of course. "Aye. Ivalice be the name, and I'd be blessed to say that she is a magnificent piece of land. Twas only there for a wee bit before we had to head back, but what they can do was just astounding. I'd be hard to believe in me own eyes from what they had seen."

"Mind telling me some of them while we go on over via the boat?" Naruto asked as he saw the boat coming up ahead.

"Aye. It'd be no problem at all."

Naruto nodded as he was about to step aboard the ship, but then he was pulled down by Robert, who looked appalled. When he was about to ask why, Robert said, "What do ye think yer doin' lad? Tis a bad omen to step onto the Aquila with a left foot. Use the other one."

Naruto just stared at him blankly before he complied. He didn't really feel like arguing with the captain that all in all holds the very ticket off of this accursed continent. And that held WAY more importance than Naruto trying to argue over some bogus myths.

Robert then takes a deep breath before he hollered, "OI, ALL HANDS ON DECK! TIME FOR US TO SET SAIL!"

And like that, a few good squadrons of crew members and sailors had emerged from possibly the depths of hell itself to set up Aquila to her proper standards. It was interesting to see the men working their asses off at their proper stations, tying ropes, hoisting the sails, lifting the anchors, and Kami knows what else.

It wasn't long before he could see that the ship was at half sail, according to some passerby sailors, and the wind had already begun to pick up on the canvases. He was close. So close. So VERY, VERY close to freedom.

But then, Robert pulls Naruto out of his thoughts as he asks, "So lad, ye got anytin te say to yer old home? I'd reckon that you won't be comin' back here."

"Not of my own will no doubt," Naruto answered as he turned back to the port town, showing a devious smirk. "And I know just how to say my good bye."

He then channeled chakra into his feet, and leapt off of the deck. It was just enough for him to land right on top of the crow's nest, startling the watcher stationed shitless there. Naruto then channels a little more chakra to run up the mast. It was easy, though somewhat difficult since he could feel the ship sway a little bit from the water's waves.

After getting a good landing and footing on the tip top part of the mast, and by proxy the Aquila, Naruto casts his gaze to the port town one last time. This would be the last time he would be seeing the Elemental Countries. This would be the last time he would have to put up with its prejudice. This was the, above all, the end of that chapter. And a new one was about to begin.

Channeling chakra into his lungs, Naruto shouts out, "OI, ELEMENTAL COUNTRIES, TAKE ONE LAST, LONG LOOK AT MISAKI NARUTO! FROM HERE ON OUT, YOU ALL ARE ON YOUR OWN! AKATSUKI, KISS MY AND KURAMA'S ASSES! AND KONOHA DON'T EVEN BOTHER, 'CUZ YOU ALL ARE DEAD TO ME! YA HEAR THAT, DEAD! AND I AM FUCKING GLAD ABOUT IT!"

After finishing off his sudden ranting, Naruto felt more at ease with himself. It was in a sense, a closure for him. He would now and forever be no longer a part of this accursed land. Hell, he knew too that he was basically casting off any chances of him meeting up with his bastard family. But then again, he could care less. He was fucking free Kami damn it!

Feeling nothing else for him to say, Naruto jumps down off his perch, landing right next to the laughing Robert. The said sea man then some manages to say through his laughter, "I…I gotta hand it to ya kid. *laughs* I like ya. *laughs* Ya got spunk!"

"Thanks for the compliment. I usually don't try to impress," Naruto replied smoothly. "So, we getting off this damned land or what?"

"Music to my ears already kid! Alright ya landlubbers! SET SAIL TO IVALICE!"

There was a long set of confirmations and some grunts from the crewmen, as the Aquila had set off from its dock. And from then on, Naruto had set of on his journey, worthy of a Final Fantasy.

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**(Date: Unknown at time. Maybe…16-17 days after I left? Kami, been too long at sea.**)

**Weather: Sunny, with some clouds here and there. Good breeze for the sails.**

**Food: Still better than the shit I got back at Konoha.**

**Crew Morale: better since I joined up on the crew. Some are still skeptical, but a good number are appreciating my Kage Bunshin jutsu. Saved use a LOT of fucking time on some manners.**

**Personal Morale: Still Fan-Fucking-tastic. Still ecstatic that I will hopefully be done with the Elemental Countries. Anxious on the new continent too. Robert hasn't told me much, as did the crew. Though I don't blame them. It was only a short stay on their parts.**

**Entry: Kami, it started fucking hot today! I don't know how these damn sailors take it! Huh, maybe I can…nah. I can get use it. Plus, I'm sure it'll help build up some endurance. Probably already did. Speaking of which, I need to increase my gravity and resistance seals a notch or two. Or…not. Not sure on how the deck can take it. Better be safe than sorry.**

**Jutsu training is a bitch though. Can't do much since I am on this ship, with a hell of a lot of people on board. The boat wouldn't take it, nor would any of the crewmen. I am just settling for training my timing and control. Heh, Rasengan training has been going smoothly.**

**I've finally been able to get it former in one hand almost instant, which is an improvement. With two hands, about 5 seconds if I pump it fast and hard enough, no pun intended. If not, I got 10…maybe 15 seconds. The bigger variations are the same as well. But the elemental combination of it is a BITCH! I got the gist of it down, but without anything to practice it on, I'm stuck. Well, at least I am getting some Futon training whenever we got no wind. Heh, I am sure that all of us appreciate that.**

**Magic, now THAT is the stuff. Some of the crewmen that I have talked to have been able to get the bare basics down, so I got that from them. And damn, I already got some basic ones down too. I got Fire, Blizzard, Thunder, Aero, Cure, Brave, and Poison. Not a bad arsenal if I do say so myself, but it is a LOT better than the crewmen that knows about this stuff.**

**I do wonder why I have such a good link to magic though. Kurama hasn't been able to come up with anything, but Robert said that it must be that I am linked to the Mist. That…I don't get. I mean, I get on how the Mist is practically like nature chakra, but…it is WAY more potent. The fact that even the experts that they were able to talk to didn't know much.**

**And then, there are the solidified things from the Mist. Robert showed me yesterday. Called it a 'Magicite'. I had figured that the boat was running on something else, but to think that the stone about the size of…I think it is a small boulder, can have that much power. And even then Robert said that it still has a lot of years left of use.**

**But then, I saw the military aspect of it. The cannons that they have on board are unlike any I have seen before. Sure, they have the good old cannonball and shit, but the ones that have magicite in them are vastly different, if not more powerful. Heh, I'd bet that Danzo would be frothing in the mouth for something like this. And if there is a war going on as big as the crewmen say…then I shudder in thinking on how much damage the lands have taken over the years.**

**Meh, enough of the dark and gloomy crap. We should be arriving to Ivalice soon as the navigator said! FINALLY! But…I can't help but think that this was WAY too easy. There have been no sightings of any pirates, or 'sky pirates' as some of the crewmen have said, which still confuses the hell out of me, or any sea monsters. While that may be a blessing, I can't help but think that we are nowhere near done…not by a long shot.**

_*SNAP!*_

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Naruto closed the journal he had been writing in before he stood up, stretching his muscles. It was a little bit after dawn, so the room he was assigned in wasn't too hot for him to whine about.

After putting the journal into a storage seal on his vest, Naruto ventures through the lower deck, seeing all of the crewmen either working on their assigned duties, or just doing whatever they feel like. One group of them was so drunk that they had started to sing one of the sea songs…again, while dancing around…again. It was truly a horrible, if not amusing sight to Naruto. He saw some others just drinking and conversing, another pair or two playing some board games that they had brought along for the journey.

He had tried his how hand at the as well, and had promptly got banned due to him winning way too much. Not that he didn't drain them of their funds like he would do at a casino, but it was more or less an issue of pride on their parts. It was still hilarious to Naruto though whenever the memory came up.

Seeing nothing for him to do their, he decided to go up to the top deck and see if he could do anything. Taking each step up to their slowly, he could feel the calm, slightly warm sea breeze hit his face. There were a few clouds here and there, but that was to be expected for their current location, which to Naruto, was in the middle of freaking nowhere.

Regardless though, it was still a sight to see.

"Oi, Naruto, come o'er here!" one of the crewmen, Lenny, called over.

Naruto walks over to him and some of the other crewmen with him before he asked, "Yeah? What's up?"

"Pence here's got some of te' gil we mentioned earlier. Said he wouldn't mind partin' a bit of it to ya," Lenny stated, jerking his head over to his more muscular companion.

Upon looking at the man, Pence nods as he sad, "Aye, I got some gil here fer ya to use. Got a decent amount while we were docked in at the port. Wouldn't mind partin with a few to help get ye' started."

"Really huh?" Naruto asked skeptically. "As much as I would appreciate that, what's that catch? I doubt that you are just going to be giving me some money for free out of the goodness of your heart."

"Ye'd be right I that one gaki!" Pence barked out in laughter. "I actually got a wee bit of a request that someone of yer talents can handle."

"A mission, ne?" Naruto hummed in thought.

It was a few seconds later before he shrugged, saying, "Meh, what the hell. It's something for me to start with. What am I going to be doing?"

The older man just grinned before he held out a bag full of the Ivalician currency. "Just make a name fer yerself gaki. I may not be able to do much as a man of te' seas, but even someone like me and Lenny here can see that ye goin' far. Jus' do what ye do best, and ye can keep te' gil."

At first, Naruto just blinked once, twice, thrice, and a fourth time. He couldn't really believe that the man I front of him was just, for all intents and purposes, _giving_ him money, with only the request of him making a name for himself as the mission.

But who was he kidding. Free money plus with an easy mission like that, he'd be like his former persona to not take the stuff. So, with a smirk, Naruto grabs the sack of gil before placing it in the storage seal on his left breast. It was a start at least.

"Thanks for that. And don't worry; making a name of myself will be _easy_!" Naruto remarked with confidence beaming off of him.

"We can drink to that!" the two sailors shouted in unison, before they consumed some sake.

Naruto would have done the same, but the feeling of uneasiness had once again returned to the pit of his stomach. It had become really persistent and annoying to the blond over the course of their journey. He had first put it off as seasickness, but then he realized that he could not rally get that due to Kyuubi.

The said biju was silent due to his sleeping, so he was unable to comment on anything at all, much to Naruto's bile.

Regardless, Naruto had kept his guard up throughout the journey, just to make sure that he was fully on the lookout for any attacks. While the lookout in the crow's nest and other area were good on their eyesight, Naruto had the instinct built into him by the abuse of his former home and of his former career. He would have been able to feel any incoming attack, but so far, nothing had happened.

Paranoia was what he would have passed it off as, but Naruto was no idiot. And his suspicions were made clear as the feeling had persisted. And now that it had returned at a much greater force, Naruto could only be as wary he could be.

Until the ship shook wildly, after a large boom had been sounded, ending with several explosions forming around the ship.

_Kami dammit_, Naruto cursed inwardly. _Why is it that Murphy has to fuck up everything for me?_

"TO QUARTERS MEN! TO QUARTERS! WE GOT PIRATES ON US!" Robert commanded.

The crewmen of the Aquila had then flipped a proverbial switch, and had ran to their proper stations. Men were manning the regular cannons to the magicite cannons, all armed and ready to fire at a moment's request. As impressive as it was, Naruto knew that he had no time to marvel at the work efficiency of the sailors. It was time for him to do his job.

He pumped a good load of chakra into his legs before he jumped high up, landing in the crow's nest. The lookout wasn't surprised at all, after getting used to Naruto doing it quite a number of times.

"Do we have eyes on the enemy?" Naruto asked the lookout.

The sailor shook his head in the negative. "Sorry, but I hadn't got a sighting yet. Should be changed though soon."

As soon as he had said that, there were a few more booms heard before a number of objects landed in the water, splashing harshly. Though the water seemed insignificant at first glance, the impact of the shots was enough for the Aquila to rock a little bit. Not something that anyone would enjoy mind you.

Naruto would have said to the man to be on the lookout, but then he saw something unusual flashing across the sky. No, not flashing, but moving at a pace that he would deem most troublesome. And he wasn't even sure what he was seeing in the first place.

"What the hell is that over there," Naruto asked, pointing over to where he saw the odd looking clouds moving.

The lookout looked over, and immediately paled. "Of all things…a bloody Mist Storm…"

"Mist Storm?" Naruto asked. "What the hell is that? And what does it mean?"

"It means we got to hightail it out of here!" the lookout replied as he looked around panicking. "That bloody storm is a mystery to all us sailors and te' ships at Ivalice, but when it shows up, and ye' get hit by it, ye' can kiss yer life goodbye!"

"**Well…that's good then**," Kurama stated slowly, now fully awake.

_Oh, REALLY?_ Naruto asked sarcastically.

He then turned back to the lookout as he said, "Alright then. New got a pirate ship we got to kill, and a super powered death storm coming at us. Great. Thank you fucking Murphy. I'll g down and tell the captain about it."

The lookout nodded before Naruto jumps back down onto the deck. He took a few seconds to right his balance against the floor before running to the red faced Robert.

"Oi, Robert, we got trouble!" Naruto screamed.

"What?!" Robert screamed back. "What are ye on about boy?!"

Naruto just points to the direction of the storm as he said, "We got a Mist Storm apparently coming at us along with whoever is attacking us. Just thought that you should know."

Robert paled and looked at where Naruto was pointing at. And then, his face was hit by his palm. "Bloody hell, why now?!"

The sea worn man then turned to Naruto as he asked, "Ye' got any ideas Naruto? I don't have the legs to handle somethin' like that."

Naruto would have asked his companion about it, but the biju had already predicted it and had said, "**Don't look at me for help. I'm just as new to this as you all are.**"

Since that option was deliberately thrown out, Naruto thought on it for a little bit before saying, "Let's push forward…at our top speed. If the enemy is only a lone frigate or something, it'll take a lot of power on both the ship's and whatever they use as a power source to make sure they stay equal to us. That in mind, we can also, hopefully, outrun this Mist Storm before we get his by it."

Robert thought on it too before he replied, "Aye, that sounds like a good plan. But we'll need yer help in getting' us some extra wind, as the magicite's only got so much power it can chug out."

"No need to worry about that," Naruto replied curtly. "I already had that in mind. Also, if by chance that the enemy was to get a good gain on us, then I will use my jutsu and spells to get you guys some more breathing room."

Robert was then shocked at that. "Ye' sure lad? Ye could be caught up in te' Mist Storm."

"I know that Robert, but as far as I know, this is our only option. I have no summons to call on for some more heavy firepower, and with the fact that we got a ship and a storm against us, this is more than likely our ONLY option. I don't mind sacrificing myself if I have to, mind you."

Robert just looked at the young man appraisingly before he patted him on the shoulder, saying, "Yer a good man Naruto. A good man. Good luck te' ya if te' time comes n' all."

Naruto just nods before he walks up to the port side of the Aquila. He could already feel the churning of the winds caused by some of the Kage Bunshin he had made a bit earlier doing their work, thus making the ship go way faster than it had been.

He waited, feeling the crisp wind glide past his face, and getting the scent of the incoming storm. It was an odd combination. In fact, if he were to compare it to something, it would be o what he could recall during the times he sent in the Forest of Death, or when he was at Takigakure. He took that, along with a mixture of scents that he could tell were like sulfur, dirt, fresh cut grass, and a whole mess of others too. Again, it was a very odd combination, but then again, the properties of the Mist itself is something that he was very odd, if not mystifying. No pun intended.

He was brought out of his musings though when the lookout shouted out, "WE GOT A LIVE ONE! OVER TO THE PORT SIDE!"

Naruto looks there and lo and behold, there was the ship coming at them. It looked to be the same size as the Aquila, but with a little bit more of an armament quality to it. There was no flag signifying who their allegiance was to, so Naruto knew nothing of what real purpose these pirates had. But he knew that he would have to act fast.

But then, he looks further, seeing that the ship was right behind the Mist Storm.

_Fuck_, Naruto cursed inwardly.

"KEEP GOING! WE CANNOT WASTE TIME ON THEM!" Robert commanded. "READY THE CANNONS TOO! WE'LL SHOW THESE BASTARDS WHAT FOR!"

Naruto could hear the men in the lower decks man the cannons, all ready to fire whenever the command would be issued. And it looked like it would be soon too, as the pirate ship was catching up to them way faster than Naruto had anticipated. Not only that, but they were STILL shooting at them. Good thing that they were lousy shots.

Before Robert could issue the command, Naruto said, "MEN! READY!"

There was a collective shout of "OSSU!"

"FIRE!"

And fire did the cannons go, launching all of their projectiles and spells right at the enemy ship. The magicite cannons actually made a landing on the ship, causing a fire to break out on the ship. One of the cannonballs was able to destroy one of the ship's masts too, pretty much ruining any chance of the catching up.

With his sensitive hearing, he could hear the screams and shouts and curses brought up by the pirates as they scrambled. But Naruto was not one to let the enemy get the chance to recover and retaliate.

With a single gesture of his arms and hands, he makes the handsign as he called out, "Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

There was a loud boom, due to the jutsu's activation. And once the smoke had cleared shortly, there were now at least a thousand or more of the blonde ninja's all standing and ready at the roaring sea.

Seeing no need to delay the inevitable, Naruto leapt forward, shouting, "CHARGE!"

With a mass collective of confirmations and such from the clones, the literal one man army had launched itself at the pirate ship. And there was not one pirate spared from the assault.

Naruto had to admit that the pirates were quite pathetic and didn't even put up a fight. They were all sluggish and obviously drunk off of something, so it was a small effort on Naruto's part that they were all disposed of. While some of them were intelligent enough to abandon ship while they still can, some of them had the gall to shoot firearms or spells at Naruto to try and catch him by surprise.

But our hero here isn't one to not expect that, as he had used a well-timed Kawarimi to place what he thought would be one of the ship's higher ups. He was sure that the poor man wouldn't survive something like that.

The captain was a bit savvier in the fighting stuff, but for the first time ever, Naruto had been slightly freaked at what he saw. Where there would have been a cliché pirate villain or something like that, there was a giant...fat…humanoid…pig thing. Sure, he looked like a pirate captain and all, but this was the first time he had seen one of the native races that make their homage in Ivalice.

The pirate Seeq had then snorted at Naruto before he said, "Well, *snort* lookie here! I got me'self a *snort* magus. Not often I see the likes of *snort* out at sea."

"Eh…nice try, but I'm not a…magus," Naruto commented while a bead of sweat rolled down his head. "I'm just your friendly neighborhood ninja Samaritan doing his ninja techniques and using his ninja powers to make sure that his ship gets to shore safely. What say you retreat now and I can forget this ever happened?"

The Seeq snorted again in contempt. "BAH! Not likely. I lost me ship to ye and yer lot, and I intend to take my vengeance! "

And with that, the Seeq pulled out some guns and fired. Our hero was hit by them, but they didn't really pierce him like he thought they would. They more or less exploded at him, giving him a bit more damage than what a piercing bullet should do. But in reality, it didn't really effect Naruto as he had braced himself for something like this as soon as they had started talking.

After the smoke had cleared, Naruto drew out some kunai and shuriken and threw them at the Seeq. The said enemy had squealed, much like a pig mind you, at the sudden barrage of sharp pointy objects piercing him. Before he could recover with a Potion and retaliate, Naruto had flashed next to him and had landed a good chakra enhanced punch to the gut.

The Seeq leaned forward in pain instinctively, but then Naruto had landed one, two, three more punches to the Seeq before he grabbed him, and threw him at a damaged mast. The impact was big enough for the already weakened mast to crack under the pressure.

To continue on with his attack though, Naruto holds out his arm as he called out, "Lucky you, as I now have a target to test my magicks on! Fire!"

The ball of fire had then formed and launched out of Naruto's hand, hitting the Seeq hard. But it was not done, as the fireball had exploded, sending the Seeq flying through the mast.

After seeing and doing all of that, Naruto let loose a smile of satisfaction crawl onto his face. It was good to see that all he was doing in the short amount of time he had was paying off

He then steeled his face into an emotionless mask as he walked down the burning ship towards the by now, critically injured, but somehow still standing Seeq.

The said being coughed up blood, while shaking his head clear. He had no idea that such a powerful man was aboard that ship. He had only gone after her upon some pirate's request back at Balfonheim, and in hindsight, that may have not been the best idea. After all, why would he have trusted Balthier in the first place?

He looked to see the man who seemed somewhat familiar to him walk up to him, wearing an emotionless mask. The Seeq couldn't help but grin weakly. It was obvious that he was going to die today, but to think that he would by killed off by the hand of a child, A CHILD.

Well, at least he had a good run.

The Seeq pirate now sees the boy in front of him, and out of pure curiosity, had asked, "Tell me *snort* boy. What is the name of my killer? I would have at least like to *snort* have the knowledge of him before the Mist takes me."

Naruto raised an eyebrow at the request, but could see no problem in answering.

"It's Naruto. Misaki Naruto," he answered.

He then notices the Seeq's eyes widen at the name before he let a large smile grew on his face. It was like he knew the name. But how? He had only made it up not that long ago.

The Seeq then laughed, all the while coughing up blood, "Bah ha! HA! To think that it would be _you_ of all people who would come to slay me. *snort* Well, at least I was at least worthy enough to be done out by you then any other lowly bounty hunter."

"What are you talking about?" Naruto asked, wearing a face filled with confusion.

The Seeq just kept on grinning. "Peh, it's not like if ye can really *snort* let out yer name, but I'll *snort* play along fer the sake of the event. Heh, heh heh,*snort*quite a tale this is."

"Okay, what the hell are you talking about?" Naruto asked again, exhaustively confused about what this thing was rambling about.

"Like ye don't know. I'd like te humor ya, but I feel me life leavin' me. Later, _your majesty_."

And with hat said, the Seeq leaned back and let gravity take its course. Seeing what he was doing, a wide eyed Naruto tried to stop him, but it was too late. The Seeq pirate had fell into the Shinigami's hands through the hard seas. And he did it with a smile.

Our hero though was not in a happy mood like that, as he had cursed his luck and was very bewildered at the latest development. What did he mean by that? And why did he call him 'his majesty'? It made absolutely no sense to him at all.

_Maybe I can ask around once I get to Ivalice_, Naruto thought to himself.

But before he could make a move back to the Aquila with the knowledge of his mission being done, Murphy had other plans for Naruto. And with that in mind, Murphy had intervened in a way that was most painful to our hero. And that is by bringing in the Mist Storm, right on top of him.

Back in reality, Naruto was about to leap off to the Aquila, but a sudden flash of pain coursed through his body. He cringed, but had gritted through it, knowing that he had to get moving. But, try as he might, he could not move a muscle.

To go with his instinct, he had immediately channeled chakra into his muscles to see of that would help, but that failed. He then tried to channel Kyuubi's youki to help, but he couldn't even get in contact with the biju to help. Next, he tried to make his body 'move' through sheer will power, and still, it did not move, not even twitch.

Now, he had no choice but to panic. The fact that not even the might of the Kyuubi's youki was enough to break whatever was binding him to the deck. He knew that no such Nara had that kind of power or will to do that, due to their lazy nature. And he knew of no such creature out in the seas that was capable of doing that either.

The thing was, he had felt no ominous intent, so he could not have felt anyone trying to bind him or even harm him. And that was the scary part, not knowing of whom, or whatever was binding him could have such a presence.

Before he could let his fear take over though, the pain had come again, but this time it was tenfold. And it was increasing. His body had instinctively cringed forward, making him fall to his knees.

Naruto had only felt something like this a few times, when he had gone over three tails of youki. After doing so, without the aid of Kyuubi, he would go into a berserker state, transformed into a pseud-kitsune/hume hybrid. And then, his only instinct was for him to rampage and kill, nothing else. It was only due to the Kyuubi's aid that Naruto was able to pull himself out of the state, and to even further gain only a small amount of control of that stage. As of now, he could only go to about 6 tails without losing himself.

But the thing with the transformation is that with each time he would use it, his skin would break apart molecule by molecule, creating one of the most excruciating things he would ever experience. And to tag on to that, each time he would do so, his Uzumaki regenerative abilities, along with the special abilities via the Kyuubi, his skin cells would go into overdrive so that he would maintain his life. But in doing so, he would decrease his lifespan due to the overdrive in recovery. It is because of that handicap that Naruto would only resort to that form when he had no choice.

This time though was different. No, that is incorrect. The difference between this would be like saying Tsunade was not a drunk old bitch who was very vain about her appearance and age. In other words: understatement of the century.

What he felt was not the tearing of his skin, but also his insides, his organs. But not just that, they were being compressed, pressured into oblivion, and stretched into the Netherlands of his body, beyond of what they could even physically do.

Naruto had then tried to claw his way towards the ocean for sanctuary, but his body would still not respond. The pain increased, and increased, and increased even more by the exponentials, until he would wish nothing more than for it to end. He would even welcome death.

But his will would not allow such a thing to occur. No, he was Misaki Naruto dammit!

So, with every essence of his being, his soul, his core, his existence, Naruto prayed for life. And that prayer was granted, when he knew nothing but darkness.

_**AN: Well, that is the end of that. A LOT of things have happened this time folks. This time, for the 'Naruto is the emperor' scenario, I am having Naruto journey to the lands of Ivalice. And it can be assumed by you lot that Naruto is obviously going to be the ruler of one of the countries, but which is still under your nose.**_

_**Now, with how things are, know that instead of doing a major time skip to the future where Naruto had already completed all his shit, I am taking the scenic route. Yep, I am having Naruto join the major characters of Final Fantasy 12 in their quest for…justice, peace, and all that stuff. He will have his own backstory when it comes to that time too, so don't worry about that.**_

_**Now, with the issue of Konoha, this time, I had taken the banished route again. But this time, with a different twist, concerning his parents and supposed sister. Whether it turns into me bashing them is still under wraps, to you, and no, it is not set in stone. But I won't be mentioning about them for a LONG while, in regards to this fic. Naruto will talk about them whenever he talks about his past to Vaan and the crew, but that will be more or less it.**_

_**Now, concerning Magic. This was something that has perplexed me. I could not, for the life of me, figure out on how to go about Naruto learning them. And me going by the License Board thing in the actual game is just…ugh. I will probably just go with the 'Naruto + experimentation = new spell/ability' scheme, as that right there is pretty much what he did in canon, usually in the midst of a battle. He will though be learning the big ones in the game, like Scathe. Also, he WILL get his own Eidolon, or summon if you will. Which it will be is under debate, though I have an idea.**_

_**Weapons: I am having Naruto stick to his ninja gear, but he will know how to use Greatswords, Guns, and Fighter swords. The first two is that way Naruto will have a heavy hitter for the first, and second one so that Naruto is knowledgeable about technology and artillery weaponry. Plus, I can see him using Futon jutsu in conjunction with guns, at least in this fic. The Fighter swords, for those of you who are wondering, are what I call the swords that some of the classes use in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 1 + 2, like the Fighter class for the Hume.**_

_**Pairing: that will remain a mystery for now. But know that no, no, NO, Fran will NOT be it. As for one, she is more than likely WAY too old for Naruto. Plus, I feel that she is PERFECT for Balthier. So, that leaves Penelo, Ashe, an OC character if I go there, or another Final Fantasy character from another game, probably from the Tactics Advance area. But yeah, no one will know until later, when it becomes obvious.**_

_**I believe I've said my case. **__**Now, as always, **__**please review on my performance. And if you have any questions, comments, concerns, suggestions, and/or compliments, leave it in the reviews or send me a PM about it. Until then, ja ne!**_


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